10 reasons why Chaudhary Charan Singh needs a memorial

Thousands of followers of Chaudhary Ajit Singh tried to cut off Delhi's water supply on Thursday to avenge Delhi cutting water supply to the house Ajit Singh has not been vacating. This is being touted as a case of VIP squatting, which is a phrase that criminalises VIP squatting while being soft on squatting by non-VIPs. This standoff between police and protesters threatens peace in Western Uttar Pradesh, which is called the Wild West by people in Delhi though it lies to the east of Delhi. The standoff also brings to fore the fact that Delhi does not have a memorial for Chaudhary Charan Singh. You may ask why do we need a memorial for Chaudhary Charan Singh in Delhi? Here are 10 reasons why.

1. Because nobody cares about Chaudhary Charan Singh. If you don't have a memorial, people will have no memory of Chaudhary Charan Singh. If you do not have a memorial, the future generation will wonder who Charan Singh was. You will have no answer. If you have one, the future generation will visit the site and wonder who Charan Singh was. You can then read whatever is written on the plaque. You will have the answer.

2. There has been no other Prime Minister who was in the chair for only 30 days. Most people who become prime minister want to remain prime minister, until the rug beneath the chair is pulled out. Indira Gandhi pulled out the rug, she has a memorial. The man on the chair doesn't. This screws up the rug and chair proverb.

Chaudhary Charan Singh (R) with former President Neelam Sanjiva Reddy.

3. Chaudhary Charan Singh has a whole university named after him in Meerut and in Lucknow, he's got an airport spread over hundreds of hectares dedicated to him. Just because he was a chief minister.  Delhi can have a bungalow, just because he was a prime minister.

4. Chaudhary Charan Singh's son Ajit Singh is no longer an MP because the people protesting for a Charan Singh Memorial didn't remember Ajit Singh when voting this time. People are forgetful. And a memorial is a good way to counter forgetfulness.

5. Since Chaudhary Ajit Singh is no longer an MP, he doesn't deserve the bungalow. But by invoking his father's name, he becomes eligible for one. Meira Kumar invoked her dad's name and her dad wasn't a prime minister for a month. If she becomes eligible, Ajit fulfils the criterion.

6. The denial of a Charan Singh memorial may lead to copycat denials in future when sons and grandsons of eminent prime ministers like H.D. Deve Gowda and I.K. Gujral will be denied memorials. Manmohan Singh will not be forgotten easily, but we have had other prime ministers who are.

7. Smart countries get the hint. When Ajit Singh gets his supporters to demand a memorial for his father, is it not evident that he wants to retain that bungalow? Are we so dumb to not realise this? Can't the government see the design behind the protest? Now does he have to say it? Smart people should get the hint. And the new government should at least act smart.

8. The law protects tenants who have lived in a house for a long time. Ajit Singh has been staying there for the last 36 years. If the government evicts him, this would require a change of address in passports and for gas connection. Does the government realise how difficult it is to get these regular things done when you are not an MP?

9. Simple courtesy. Haryana Chief Minister Bhupinder Singh Hooda has written to Union Urban Development Minister Venkaiah Naidu saying how discourteous it is to the sacred memories of Chaudhary Charan Singh. Hooda wants Jat votes in Haryana, hence the prefix sacred. Does the BJP not want Jat votes?

10. If we declare all bungalows in Lutyens' Zone as memorials, we will have so many memorials that nobody would pay a visit. To our joy, MPs will have no bungalows to stay in and will be forced to move to flats. Don't we want our MPs to live in flats instead of bungalows? Two birds in one stone.